West Marine opens flagship store in Jacksonville

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Watsonville, Calif. West Marine has opened its largest store to date, a 30,000-sq.-ft. prototype in Jacksonville, Fla.

The store aimed at boasters, sailors, anglers and water-sports enthusiasts is about four-times larger than the company’s average size store and will offer 16,000 national and local products, compared with 7,000 to 8,000 products in the average store.

Designed by Columbus, Ohio-based Chute Gerdeman, the new West Marine has a nautical-styled interior and has several unique features, including a two-story, 300-sq.-ft. flybridge and an indoor fishing shack.

The store also has skylights designed to reduce the need for electricity as part of the company’s overall goal of energy efficiency.